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Duhaime's Law Dictionary

Verdict Definition:

In criminal cases, this is usually expressed as "guilty" or "not guilty". In a civil case, the verdict would be a finding for the plaintiff or for the defendant.

In Anthony v Anthony, the Supreme Court of Georgia noted that:

“The meaning of the word verdict (is) a true saying.”

In Groves v State, the reasons of Justice Gilbert of the same court, contained these words:

“The object of all legal investigations is the discovery of truth….

“The word (verdict) imports verity … a true saying….

"A verdict is a declaration of the truth as to the matters submitted to
the jury…. It is a very important act. It is a culmination of the trial,
and embodies the conclusions of the jury upon the questions of fact
litigated upon the trial.”

In Szlinsky v Denhup, the Supreme Court of Connecticut:

“A verdict of the jury is the jury’s answer to the question of fact contained in the issue formed by the pleadings of the parties.”

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Duhaime Lawisms

As long as I remain a judge, I care not for the incarnate or discarnate spirits of the world. I shall resolutely seek to reach for the truth, no matter if ten thousand million discarnate spirits come around me.
Justice McArdle in Morris v Associated Newspapers, a 1953 English libel action by a spirit medium.

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Unless otherwise noted, this article was written by Lloyd Duhaime, Barrister, Solicitor, Attorney and Lawyer (and Notary Public!). It is not intended to be legal advice and you would be foolhardy to rely on it in respect to any specific situation you or an acquaintance may be facing. In addition, the law changes rapidly and sometimes with little notice so from time to time, an article may not be up to date. Therefore, this is merely legal information designed to educate the reader. If you have a real situation, this information will serve as a good springboard to get legal advice from a lawyer.